U. Carrot Farm's Marialite turned in a terrific performance against Japan's top middle-distance mares and fillies, and won Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Jpn-I) by a neck from fast-closing favorite Nuovo Record Nov. 15 at Kyoto.
Trying group I company for the first time, Marialite advanced along the outside as the field spread wide into the stretch and closed in on the leaders with every stride, taking command soon after the furlong pole. Nuovo Record, who had a wide trip throughout after breaking from the far outside post, uncoiled an electric acceleration while still wide in the stretch and just missed catching Marialite, finishing second again following her runner-up finish last year.
Progressive 3-year-old filly Touching Speech was shuffled back as the field bunched up on the home turn, but regaining her momentum, she burst from between horses in the final 200 meters to take third, just a nose behind 2014 Japan Oaks (Jpn-I) victress Nuovo Record.
Last year's winner, Lachesis, got a ground-saving trip on the rail with Ryan Moore, was bumped when she moved out on the final turn, and then could not get past a wall of horses in the straight, finishing 10th.
Marialite finished the 2,200-meter (about 1 3/8-mile) trip in 2:14.09 on turf rated good.
"The track condition worked to her advantage. She's easy to ride and was in great shape today," said winning jockey Masayoshi Ebina. "She's been allowed to mature without much pressure up to now for which I'm grateful and now that she's won today, I'm looking forward to much more improvement which she is capable of."
Marialite, a 4-year-old daughter of Deep Impact, took her career line to 5-1-4 from 13 career starts while earning her first stakes win for trainer Takashi Kubota. She was third in the Mermaid Stakes (Jpn-III) in June in her group debut, and following a break of just over three months, finished fifth in the All Comers Stakes (Jpn-II) Sept. 27 at Nakayama.
"I've been training her towards this goal all along and she's built up into a great filly. I left all the tactics to Ebina and she ran such a smooth race, I was really excited watching her charging down the homestretch. She held on so well," Kubota said after Sunday's race.
Marialite, bred in Japan by Northern Farm, is out of the winning El Condor Pasa mare Chrysoprase.
[www.bloodhorse.com] - Photography: - Masakazu Takahashi
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